Mourners and members of security forces carry a coffin containing the body of Egyptian military officer Abdulrahman Ali Mohammed who was killed in a clash with militants in North Sinai, during his funeral, in Cairo, Egypt, on February 17, 2019. (Photo by Reuters)

Iran has strongly condemned a terrorist attack on an army checkpoint in Egypt's restive North Sinai region, urging collective cooperation among all countries to fight the scourge.

"Terrorism is a common threat to regional countries and the fight against this ominous phenomenon requires sincere determination and joint cooperation by all countries," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Monday.

He also offered his condolences to the bereaved families of the victims.

Egyptian security forces on Saturday “eliminated” at least seven suspected members of a terror outfit affiliated to the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the North Sinai region during a counterterrorism operation, which also left 15 government forces either dead or wounded.

According to Egypt’s military spokesperson Tamer el-Refai, the suspected militants were killed in an “exchange of fire” after they “attacked one of the security checkpoints in North Sinai.”

He added that an officer was also killed in the clashes and “14 non-commissioned soldiers” sustained injuries.

Daesh terrorist group later claimed responsibility for the attack on its news outlet AMAQ.

Over the past few years, terrorists have been carrying out anti-government activities and fatal attacks, taking advantage of the turmoil in Egypt that erupted after the country’s first democratically-elected president, Mohamed Morsi, was ousted in a military coup in July 2013.